Tale of Tales has begun production of a new videogame for PC, Mac andLinux, scheduled for release next year.

Sunset is a first­-person exploration of a single penthouse apartment ina fictional tropical republic suffering under an oppressive regime. Setin the early 1970's, the player, a housekeeper, visits week­ by­ weekand slowly discovers the role of the apartment's eccentric occupant inthe civil war — and her own role in his life — as the city erupts aroundthem.

The former philanthropist has been living a secluded life after amilitary coup had stifled the arts and culture that once aroused hispassions. The thoughtful attention of his housekeeper awakens a new lovefor his country and his people in him. But the ruthless government willnot be defeated with a velvet glove. Maybe she can convince him to jointhe violent resistance movement that terrorizes the capital.

Against the sunset-lit backdrop of a war-torn metropolis, two heartsmeet in a fast-paced thriller. Your investigation of a person'sbelongings creates a level of intimacy never far away from romance. Itis up to you, however, to decide how the relationship evolves. Will yoube a lover? A fighter? A friend or a traitor?

"It's like a shooter game where you are not the hero but one of thepeople in the background," according to Tale of Tales founders anddirectors Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn. "And also that is how itfeels to live in the world today, surrounded by the evidence of war butmost of us not feeling a part of it. The game contains both empathy andapathy. But also a feeling of being caught up in a struggle bigger thanyour day to day life."

Sunset is the second biggest project Tale of Tales has been involved in(after The Path) but is still being produced with a very small team:Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn design, model and program; Kris Force isin charge of sound design; Agency, Leigh Alexander and Ste Curran's newgame development consultancy, are advising on the project direction; andan anonymous author is helping with the story. Last but not least,Austin Wintory is composing the music for Sunset.

Partial production funding has been acquired from the FlandersAudiovisual Fund, that has supported most of Tale of Tales games in thepast.

Next to Sunset, Tale of Tales is preparing two other productions: TheBook of 8, a re-imagination of their very first design based on theSleeping Beauty fairy tale and An empty World, a collaboration withJessica Curry and Vicki Wong.

Tale of Tales will be available, for the curious, at the Game DevelopersConference in San Francisco where Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn arepresenting their Nuovo Award nominated Luxuria Superbia in theIndependent Games Festival pavilion and an early prototype for that gamein the Experimental Gameplay Workshop.

More details on Sunset - The Game

_________________An Adventurer's strength flows from the Point'n'Click Force.But beware The Dark Side my friend.Anger,rage,aggression.The dark side of the gaming Force are they.Easily they flow,quick to join you in a fight.If once you start down the dark path of RPGs, Action-Adventures or . . eek! . . Casual Games (brrr!),forever will it dominate your destiny.Consume you it will,as it did Ethel,of whom we dare not speak for fear of instant expulsion from our true faith of Point'n'Click.